Is a prayer valid when one performs it while wearing a garment bearing an advertisement for an alcoholic drink (i.e. only the name with no pictures)? Thanks.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

A Muslim is not allowed to wear such clothes as this promotes evil and constitutes cooperation with those who perform it, approval of their action and satisfaction with it. This is asserted when you wear it to perform one of the most sacred acts of worship. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.}[Quran 5: 2]

The prayer itself is valid although the worshipper commits this act of disobedience. Scholars decided that when a man prays while wearing a silk garment, his prayer is valid but he is still blameworthy for wearing such dress. The Maaliki scholar, Khaleel ibn Is-haaq said: "It (i.e. the prayer) is valid but one is blameworthy when he performs it while wearing silk or gold, steals or looks at something prohibited while praying."

We alert the questioner that calling intoxicants and alcoholic beverages spiritual drinks is a grave mistake. We are required under Sharee‘ah to give things their real names, as Allaah The Almighty Made some rulings contingent on certain descriptions. This is applied to Khamar (i.e. intoxicants), as everything that intoxicates the mind takes the ruling of Khamar and it must not be called otherwise. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said the truth when he said: "Some people of my Ummah (i.e. nation) will consume wine and give it other names." [An-Nasaa’i and Ahmad]